Disclaimer: Hawaii Five-0 and its characters do not belong to me.
...
Harsh sirens pierced through the rhythmic patter of rain on the ground, ringing louder than the low grumble of thunder. Blue and red flashing lights illuminated the night sky accompanying the occasional lightning strikes.
Tani bit her lip, looking at the screen of her phone as her call remained unanswered. She breathed in shakily, "They're not answering." She said, her straight voice not belying the actual turmoil brewing in her chest.
Not again.. Not again... It was the only thing running through her head. They can't take Danny again...
"Sh*t!" Junior shouted exasperatedly as he stepped on the accelerator. "Try again, Tani! Try again until you get him." Anxiety was gripping him as he tightened his hold on the steering wheel.
Tani didn't answer as she dialled Danny's number again. The past three calls had gone to voicemail. And she knew that was enough of a concern. Even if it was 3 a.m. in the morning, Danny was a light-sleeper and he would never miss three straight calls. What was even more concerning was that Adam, too, hadn't answered his phone. Adam who was supposed to be with Danny.
"Still no answer, Junes... Step on it."
The engine revved as Junior went way over the speed limit. "He's alright...They're alright.." Junior said but it did nothing to convince him or Tani. The unspoken fear in their minds raged on. Daiyu Mei had escaped custody. And they knew what that meant. Danny was in grave danger. They could only hope that this time, they weren't too late.
...
"We meet again." Daiyu Mei looked at him with a nauseating smirk plastered on her face. "What did I tell you? Watch your back, Detective."
He inhaled, swallowing the burgeoning fear in his chest. He couldn't show her any fear. He gritted his teeth, looking at her in challenge. "What do you want?"
"You know what I want." Daiyu Mei voiced. "Where is Steve McGarrett?" She asked.
"I already told you.. I don't know where he is." He said.
Daiyu Mei stepped closer to him, cupping his chin as he squirmed from her touch. "You're not going to listen, are you?" She signalled to the man holding Adam.
He recognized the glint in the man's eyes. An almost sadistic shine in the brown orbs. "NO!" He shouted but it was too late.
In a split second, the man effortlessly turned Adam to face him and drove the knife deep into his stomach, pulling it out before thrusting it in again.
The sound of metal cutting into flesh would forever haunt him. Adam's muffled groan as he folded into himself, clutching his stomach where the knife had entered his body. Twice. With a deafening thud, Adam dropped onto the ground gracelessly.
"ADAM!" He shouted, making a run towards his colleague but he was pulled back by another of Daiyu Mei's goon. He felt a sharp prick in his neck, heat spreading through his veins and paralysing him.
There was nothing he could do but watch his colleague sputtering for breath in front of him as he, too, fell forward onto the ground.
He swallowed, unable to move a single muscle.
Daiyu Mei used her leg to flip him over and pressed her heel on his cheek, watching him gasp for breath. She crouched next to him, smiling menacingly."You should have listened to me when I warned you, Detective. But like I said, I'm not here for you this time. My goal has always been Steve McGarrett."
Against his own wishes, tears spilled out from his eyes. He tried to speak but he couldn't. Even breathing took too much effort as though his chest was being weighed down by a 100-pound boulder.
"Wherever he is, I will find him."
Steve.. I have to warn Steve..
"You should have just told me where he is right from the beginning, Detective. How many more lives will you risk? Your poor friend here is the first one to go... Who will be next? Perhaps.. your daughter?"
NO! NO! GRACE.. NOT GRACE! PLEASE!
Daiyu Mei stood up and signalled to her men. "This isn't goodbye, Detective. I'll see you again."
He tried to reach his hand to stop her as Daiyu Mei got away but he was locked in, unable to move as he remained helplessly on the ground. He could hear Adam's struggled breathing and then...
Silence.
And he, too, succumbed to the darkness.
...
The half an hour drive to Danny's house had somehow halved. It was no more than 15 minutes later that they arrived at his house. The Camaro was parked up front. Tani was first to rush out of Junior's truck. She sprinted to the door, stopping abruptly when she saw the door ajar. She swallowed, turning towards Junior who was right behind her. They exchanged worried glances for a brief second before Junior nodded towards her. He went in front of her, his hands automatically reaching for the gun in his waist holster. His gun outstretched, he led the way in.
The house was dim, a small table lamp was the only thing illuminating the house. But even in the dimness, he could see there was something amiss. He walked in, softly calling out Danny's and Adam's names. The silence that greeted him was daunting.
And then his heart stopped. "Tani.." His voice a mere whimper. Two of his colleagues were lying motionless on the ground. "Ch..check them." He instructed as he surveyed the house for any intruder.
Tani swallowed as she took in the sight. She crouched next to Danny, putting two fingers against his neck. She heaved a sigh of relief. There was a pulse. She stood up and walked over to Adam. The insane amount of blood pooling around him was enough to make her fear the worst.
"Junior.."
"There's no one in the house." Junior said as he crouched next to Tani "How is he?"
"He's not breathing." She said.
Without a moment's delay, Junior jumped into action, kneeling next to Adam as he began CPR. "Tani, get something for the bleeding. How's Danny?"
"His pulse is steady. But I think he's been given something." Tani said as she headed to the kitchen to get the first aid box.
"How far out is the EMT?" He asked, glad they had called it in before reaching the house, just in case.
"They're five minutes out." She said as she packed Adam's wounds with gauze and applied pressure on it. "He's going to be okay, right?"
Junior didn't answer. He continued the chest compressions in silence, willing for Adam's heart to start beating again. Giving two rescue breaths, he paused and checked for a pulse. He shook his head as the sound of sirens in the distance grew louder.
...
Steve…Grace.. They're in danger.. I need to.. I need to protect them.. STEVE! GRA…!
"NO..NO..NO…Don't hurt them! Stev…Grac..NO!"
"..nny...down… Danny.. ca.. he..ar me.. n..ed.. cal..m down!"
His eyes shot open at the warm, familiar voice. The soothing touch on his cool skin gently calming him down.
"..ni.." He swallowed, the words stuck in his scorched throat. He blinked heavily, an intense pounding resided in his head.
The ache right beneath his eyes were almost unbearable and he kept them shut, wanting to slip back into slumber.
"Danny, you with me?"
What the hell happened, he wanted to ask but the rawness in his throat made it difficult for him to speak. He once again opened his eyes, looking around him despite the haze cloaking his vision.
Hospital. He wondered for a brief moment why he was back here. And then his eyes landed on Tani's bloodied clothes. He shot up, his movements restricted and slow. Tani reached out, supporting him as he swayed to the side involuntarily. He swallowed, forcing his voice as tears began stinging his eyes. "A..dam?" He breathed.
Tani swallowed, looking at him with a look he didn't quite like. No.. no…. no…
"He's in surgery." Tani eked out.
His chest spasmed in relief having feared the worst.
"It's bad, he had lost a lot of blood before the EMTs arrived..."
He inhaled, the hope in his chest almost immediately dashed. "D..yu Mei…" He said, his voice rough.
"Here, take a sip of water." Tani handed him a glass.
He gratefully took it but the moment he swallowed, his throat revolted and he sputtered into a coughing fit.
Tani's hand gently rubbed his back as he gulped for air. His chest felt heavy… Come to think of it, everything felt heavy.
"Take it easy." Tani coaxed. "They gave you a paralytic drug.. You're going to be okay but you might still feel the effects for a while. Just take it easy, okay?"
"She go..t a..way?"
Tani nodded. "When we reached the house, we found you and Adam…no signs of Daiyu Mei."
"How…escaped?"
"Yeah.. HPD is investigating but there were multiple explosions at the prison. Power lines went down and they couldn't contact us earlier. During the evacuation, they found Daiyu Mei was already missing."
"Damn… anyone hurt?"
"Several officers and inmates were injured. So far 7 dead in the explosion, all inmates."
"Anyone else on the loose?" He asked, massaging his head as he felt like it was about to explode from the news.
"Some tried to but didn't get very far… HPD is canvassing the area around the prison while they account for all the prisoners."
"Good.." He licked his lips. "Tani.. I need your help."
"What is it?"
"Steve and Grace.. They're her next targets." He said, a pang in his chest. The two people he loved the most in this world. He would no sooner die than lose any one of them. And the thought that either of them were in danger was shredding him to pieces.
"What did she say?" Tani asked.
"Steve.. she wants him." He inhaled. "And she has no qualms hurting everyone around me to find him."
"What's the plan? Are you going to tell McGarrett about this?" Tani asked.
He shook his head. "Pass me my phone." He typed the name on the screen, his thumb hovering above the call icon. He should make the call.
"You're calling Steve?"
Again, he shook his head. He couldn't call Steve. He could only call one person. The only one who was by his side now. The only one who could protect Steve.
He waited with bated breath as the call connected.
"Hello?"
He inhaled. "Cath..erine? It's Danny.."
"Danny? Hey, how are you doing?"
"Cath.." He breathed again. "I.. I.."I need your help."Everything okay with you?"
"Yeah, Danny.. You okay? Is this about..Steve?"
"Yes..Cath.." He hesitated. "Daiyu Mei escaped. She's after Steve."
"Oh god.."
"I need your help, Cath. You're the only one by his side right now.. I need you to make sure he's safe."
"Dan.." Cath started."You don't know?"
"Know what?"
"Steve and I.. we're not together anymore."
He swallowed. That didn't make any sense to him. "What do you mean?"
"Steve left."
"What?! Cath, when was this?"
"Six months ago.. when he left to see you.. he told me he wasn't coming back."
"Left to see me? What are you talk..." He stopped midsentence. The confusion dissipated. He remembered. What he had thoughr was a vivid hallucination all this time had been real. "You mean.. when I went for surgery?"
"Yeah.. Did he not see you?" Cath asked.
That selfish idiot.. "He did." Danny said. But he didn't let me see him.."Cath... please tell me you know where he is."
"I'm sorry, Danny. I don't.. I thought he had stayed behind with you."
He inhaled, squeezing his eyes shut. Steve...You're the biggest idiot...Where the hell are you…
"Catherine.. if you find out anything, please.."
"I will see what I can do and I'll let you know, Danny." She said. "I have to go now. Take care…"
"Yeah..you too…" He mumbled. The call disconnected and for a moment he too felt disconnected from reality.
Steve.. His partner was alone somewhere. Not knowing that his life was in imminent danger. That Daiyu Mei who held a blood grudge on him was out hunting for him. Steve was completely unprotected and that fear suffocated him, clutching his heart in absolute terror.
"Danny?" Tani's voice gently broke through the walls o his endless thoughts.
"I need to find Steve." He stated with utmost certainty. His partner needed him, that much he knew. He needed to be by Steve's side.
He grabbed the side rail on the bed and hoisted himself up, his muscles spasming with effort. He felt his whole body trembling as he struggled to remain seated.
"Danny.. take it easy. We're gonna find him, okay?" Tani said, wrapping her hands around him to both stabilise him and prevent him from getting up.
"I need to find Steve! He's all alone right now and Daiyu Mei is after him! Do you get that?!" He wasn't sure where he got the energy from but he managed to push her aside and force himself up. But the energy was short-lived as he found his knees buckling the moment he stepped foot on the ground. Tani caught him just in time, essentially cradling him as he shook almost uncontrollably.
But he was shaking not from the drug that had been pumped into his veins. He was trembling with tears that were incessantly flowing down his cheeks. The fear was almost paralysing. "I need to find Steve. I need to protect him…" He sobbed, his shoulders sagging forward as he was increasingly losing the battle against the drug.
"Danny.. please, you need to rest. The drug is still…."
"I'm fine." He said, shrugging out of her hold as he stubbornly pressed on, taking a few shaky steps towards the door. He had no idea where he was going. Just that… "Ste..Steve needs me. You have to let me.." He swallowed, an intense pang in his chest took the words out of his mouth. He grabbed the chair in front of him, taking a deep breath to force air into his lungs.
"We'll find him! We will. But you're not going to be of any use to Steve right now. Plus Daiyu Mei is still out there and she can full well hurt you again!"
"EXACTLY!" He said louder than he meant to. The ringing in his ears not quite helping him remain level-headed. "She's out there and she's going to hurt Steve! Not me! STEVE! I need to find him!"
"Where are you going to start?" Tani asked. "We can call Steve and let him know what's happenin..."
"No!" He said. "Steve can't hear of this yet. I know him… I know what he's going to do. He's not going to let anyone else get hurt because of him and he's going to.. no.. he can't find out not until I find him first!"
"Woah! Woah.. what's going on here." Lou emerged from the doorway, wearing a worried expression on his face. "Everything okay? How're you feeling, Danny?"
"I'm fine." He said again.
"He's not." Tani answered almost simultaneously. "He wants to find Steve in this state and we don't even know where to start."
"I'll find him.. no matter where he is, I.." He stopped, recognizing the look in Lou's eyes. "Lou." He swallowed. "You know where he is."
"Danny.."
"How long have you known?" He asked.
Lou inhaled, unable to answer.
"You knew where he was all along?" He asked, feeling ultimately betrayed. "You knew he was no longer with Catherine.. you knew.."
"Danny..I.."
"You what? You lied to me this whole time? Is that what you're going to say?"
"No, Danny.. he made me promise. If you found out, he was going to disappear for good. Trust me, it's not that I didn't want to tell you. I just.."
"I don't need to hear that. Just tell me where he is. I need to find him." He said.
"Dann.."
"Lou. Tell me where he is."
…
A/N: Hi everyone! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Reunion coming very soon but will it go well. Who knows heh... and I'm sprry if this story is dragging on but i still have quite a bit left before I get to the end. Hope yall stick around. Thanks as always for all your kind reviews:)